State Department travel warnings: See where the risks lie

January 23, 2013

Ng Han Guan

North Korea

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North Korea:

State Department: "Travel by U.S. citizens to North Korea is not routine, and U.S. citizens crossing into North Korea, even accidentally, have been subject to arrest and long-term detention. Since January 2009, four U.S. citizens have been arrested for entering North Korea illegally. In 2010, a fifth U.S. citizen, who had a valid DPRK visa in his U.S. passport, was arrested inside North Korea on unspecified charges. This replaces the Travel Warning for North Korea dated November 3, 2011, to remind US citizens about the risks involved in traveling to the DPRK.

The Government of North Korea imposes heavy fines and long prison sentences with hard labor on persons who enter the country without a valid passport and a North Korean visa. If you travel unescorted inside North Korea without explicit official authorization, North Korean security personnel may view your actions as espionage.

Security personnel may view any unauthorized attempt you make to talk to a North Korean citizen as espionage. North Korean authorities may fine or arrest you for unauthorized currency transactions or for shopping at stores not designated for foreigners.

It is a criminal act in North Korea to show disrespect to the country's former leaders, Kim Jong Il and Kim Il Sung, or to current leader, Kim Jong Un. North Korean authorities have threatened foreign journalists who questioned the policies or public statements of the DPRK or the actions of the current leadership."Read the full warning.

State Department: "Travel by U.S. citizens to North Korea is not routine, and U.S. citizens crossing into North Korea, even accidentally, have been subject to arrest and long-term detention. Since January 2009, four U.S. citizens have been arrested for entering North Korea illegally. In 2010, a fifth U.S. citizen, who had a valid DPRK visa in his U.S. passport, was arrested inside North Korea on unspecified charges. This replaces the Travel Warning for North Korea dated November 3, 2011, to remind US citizens about the risks involved in traveling to the DPRK.

The Government of North Korea imposes heavy fines and long prison sentences with hard labor on persons who enter the country without a valid passport and a North Korean visa. If you travel unescorted inside North Korea without explicit official authorization, North Korean security personnel may view your actions as espionage.

Security personnel may view any unauthorized attempt you make to talk to a North Korean citizen as espionage. North Korean authorities may fine or arrest you for unauthorized currency transactions or for shopping at stores not designated for foreigners.

It is a criminal act in North Korea to show disrespect to the country's former leaders, Kim Jong Il and Kim Il Sung, or to current leader, Kim Jong Un. North Korean authorities have threatened foreign journalists who questioned the policies or public statements of the DPRK or the actions of the current leadership."Read the full warning.